Latching device



P. LINDHOLM Feb. 28, 1956 LATCHING DEVICE Filed Feb. 27, 1952 //VVE/VTOR P L /NDHOLM M Ar'mk M United States Patent LATCHING DEVICE Paul Lindholm, Roselle, N. 1., assignortowestern Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of'New York Application February 27, 1952, Serial No. 273,627

2 Claims. (Cl. 292:--130) This invention relates to latches and more particularly to readily releasable latches for louvers of fluorescent lighting fixtures.

Most of the larger types of fluorescent lighting fixtures, particularly those used in manufacturing plants and offices, include louvers disposed in the open underportions of the bodies of the fixtures which must be removed to remove burnt-out fluorescent tubes and to install new ones in the fixtures. In some instances the louvers are hingedly mounted at one side of the fixture body but the commercially known latches or clamps for the free sides of the louvers require considerable time to free the louvers for movement into open position and to again secure the louvers in their closed positions.

An object of the present invention is a latch which is simple in structure and highly eflicient in readily securing an article in a closed position and to readily release the article for movement into an open position.

With this and other objects in view, the invention comprises a latch including a member mounted at a fixed position and swingably supporting an element which has a portion adapted to engage an article and be affected by the weight of the article to hold the article in a given position.

In the present embodiment of the invention the member of the latch is mounted on the body of a fluorescent lighting fixture and the swingable element is formed to engage the free side of a hinged louver of the fixture so that the weight of the louver will render the element effective to hold the louver in its closed position and so that the element will be released to swing free of the louver when the weight of the louver is removed from the element.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is an enlarged isometric view of the latch attached to a fluorescent lighting fixture and Fig. 2 is a fragmentary isometric view of a fluorescent lighting fixture illustrating the latch.

Referring now to the drawing, attention is first directed to Fig. 2 which illustrates one particular type of fluorescent lighting fixture indicated generally at having a body 11 and a louver 12. The louver 12 is hingedly mounted at 14 (only one hinge being shown in the drawing) at one side thereof to the body 11 so that when the louver is free it may swing downwardly from its closed position about its hinges to its open position where it is suspended from the hinges to permit access to the fluorescent tubes 15.

The latch, indicated generally at 18, includes a support or member 19 bent at 20 to partially conform to the adjacent portion of the body 11 of the fixture and provided with outwardly extending parallel portions 21 provided with aligned apertures 22. The member 19 in the present embodiment of the invention is secured to the body 11 by a clamp 24 engaging the inner portion of the body 11 as shown in Fig. 1 and held in clamp 2 ing engagement therewith by. a screw 25 extending through apertures in the clamp.24 and themernber 19.

An element 27 having a circularly bent upper portion 28 disposed between the projections 21 receives a cotter pin 30 which extends through the apertures 22 in the projections. The element 27 is bent. at, portions 31 and 32 to provide a substantially, U-shaped contour while the hook shaped end 33. of the element provides a shelf 34 for the adjacent portion of the louver 12- and the holding portion 35' which forcibly engages the louver affected by the weight of the louver tov hold it in closed position.

A desired number of the latches may be readily mounted on any fixture depending upon the size of the fixture. In the present illustration it may be assumed that two of the latches are mounted on the body 11 of the fixture adjacent the free side of the louver when the louver is in its closed position as shown in the drawing. With one or more of the latches in use on a given fixture, all that is necessary to release the louver is to remove the weight thereof from the latches. This may be accomplished without touching or manually assisting the latches in any way. All that is required is movement upwardly of the free side of the louver freeing the holding force on each latch and allowing the elements 27 to swing free of the path of the louver when released and allowed to swing downwardly about its hinges into open position. The contour of the element 27 is such that the element will swing outwardly due to gravity, to its normal suspended position out of the path of the free side of the louver. The normal suspended position of the element 27 is the position it will assume naturally when hanging free on its pin 30.

When it is desirable to latch the louver in its closed position, the latch may be swung into the position shown in the drawing so that the adjacent portion of the louver will rest on the shelf 34 of the element 27 and engage the holding position 35. As the free end of the louver is released, its weight cooperates with the element in maintaining the latching position. Furthermore, the engaging portions of the element and the louver are positioned with respect to their pivots and their centers of gravity so that their interlocking actions are increased by the action of gravity on the element and the louver. It is, therefore, apparent that the latch is not only efficient in holding the article or louver in its closed position but is readily actuable into latching or unlatching positions with little effort on the part of the operator.

It is to be understood that the above described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A latch for an open frame-like article having opposite first and second side portions hingedly supported at the first side portion thereof for movement in a path from an open position where the article is suspended from its hinge support to a closed position away from the open position, the latch comprising a fixed member mounted adjacent the second side portion of the article when in the closed position, an element pivotally supported by the fixed member and having a suspended position free of the path of the article when disengaged therefrom, and an upwardly bent hook-shaped end of the element adapted to extend beneath the second side portion of the frame-like article and extend upwardly into the article to engage an inner surface of said second side portion, after the article is moved into its closed position and the element is moved about its pivotal support toward the hinge support so that the weight of the article will create a frictional holding force between the upwardly bent hook-shaped end of the element and the article.

2. A latch for an open frame-like article having opposite first and second side portions hingedly supported at the first side portion thereof for movement in a path from an open position Where the article is suspended from its hinge support to a closed position away from the open position, the latch comprising a fixed member mounted adjacent the second side portion of the article when in the closed position, an element pivotally supported by the fixed member and having a suspended position free of the path of the article when disengaged therefrom, and a hook-shaped end of the element adapted to extend beneath the second side portion of the frame- 1 like article and extend upwardly into the article to engage an inner surface of said second side portion, after the article is moved into its closed position and the element is moved about its pivotal support out of its normally suspended position toward the hinged support, and be forced by the weight of the article to hold the article in its closed position, said hook-shaped end also being adapted to disengage the article and free the element to swing about its pivotal support free of the path of the article when the weight of the article is removed 10 from the hook-shaped end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 968,375 Lungren Aug. 23, 1910 1,799,523 McGuire Apr. 7, 1931 2,535,639 Lauer Dec. 26, 1950 

